Insurance commissioner. year thereafter, the Insurance Commissioner shall value the policy obligations issued after the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred and three, by all Valuation of pol- life insurance companies, the valuation of whose poli icies. Proviso. cies is required by the law of this State, on the net premium basis, according to the American Experience Table of Mortality, with interest at three and one-half per centum per annum: Provided, That any company may elect to have its policy obligations valued at a lower rate of interest. Approved-The 19th day of March, A. D. 1903. SAML. W. PENNYPACKER. Whereas. Corporations using electrical current. Contracts. Proviso. No. 41. AN ACT To prevent the multiplication of poles, wires, and conduits for electrical purposes, by authorizing corporations, manufacturing or using electrical current for any purposes, to enter into contracts with each other relating to the exchange of current, the joint use of poles, wires, and conduits, or the lease or operation of each others systems. Whereas, The multiplying of lines of poles and conduits and different systems of wires for conducting currents of electricity along the various roads and streets of this Commonwealth, is a source of annoyance and danger to the public, and of interference with the proper exercise of municipal functions; therefore, Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That it shall and may be lawful for corporations, for what purpose soever formed, and lawfully using electrical current, within this Commonwealth, to enter into contracts with each other for use of the same poles, wires and conduits, or for the purchase and sale of electrical current, or for the lease and operation of each others' systems, upon such terms and conditions as they may agree upon: Provided, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to give to any company any rights to erect or maintain poles, wires or conduits upon any street or road not already so occupied, unless the consent of the local authorities shall have been first obtained. Approved-The 19th day of March, A. D. 1903. SAML. W. PENNYPACKER. No. 42. AN ACT Amending section nine of an act, entitled "An act in relation to the laying out, opening, widening, straightening, extending or vacating streets and alleys, and the construction of bridges in the several municipalities of this Commonwealth, the grading, paving, macadamizing or otherwise improving streets and alleys, providing for ascertaining the damages to private property resulting therefrom, the assessment of the damages, costs and expenses thereof upon the property benefited, and the construction of sewers and payment of the damages, costs and expenses thereof, including damages to private property resulting therefrom," approved May sixteenth, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one, enabling municipal corporations to lay out, open, widen, extend, and vacate streets or alleys, upon petition or without petition of property owners, as amended by the act approved the twentysecond day of May, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five, providing for the approval of ordinances by the city recorder and the publication of the ordinances. Whereas, The act, entitled "An act for the govern- Preamble. ment of cities of the second class," approved the seventh day of March, Anno Domini one thousand nine hundred and one, abolished the office of mayor in said cities, and created the office of city recorder as the chief executive officer in said cities, and in and by virtue of Article XIX, section I, thereof, preserved the previously existing powers of said cities to lay out, open, widen, extend, and vacate streets or alleys, with out petition of property owners; but, nevertheless, there has since the passage of said act arisen an unfounded doubt as to the preservation of said powers; Low, therefore, in order to remove said doubt: Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That section nine of an act, entitled “An act in relation to the laying out, opening, widening, straightening, extending or vacating streets and alleys, and the construction of bridges in the several municipalities of this Commonwealth, the grading, paving, macadamizing or otherwise improving streets and alleys, providing for ascertaining the damages to private property resulting therefrom, the assessment of the damages, costs and expenses thereof upon the property benefited, and the construction of sewers and payment of the damages, costs and expenses thereof, including damages to private property resulting therefrom," approved May sixteenth, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one, which, as amended by an act approved the twenty-second day of May, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five, reads as follows: Section 9. Every municipal corporation shall have power to open, widen, straighten or extend streets or alleys, or parts thereof, within its limits, and to vacate streets or alleys, or parts thereof, upon the petition of a majority in number and interest of owners of prop Section 9, act of amended by act of May 16, 1891, as May 22, 1895, cited for amendment. Power to open streets, etc., upon petition, erty abutting on the line of the proposed improvement, to be verified by affidavit of one or more parties, as in the preceding section; a majority in interest of owners of undivided interests in any piece of property to be deemed and treated as one person for the purpose of petition. Every municipal corporation shall have power, whenever the councils or authorities there of shall deem it necessary, to open, widen, straighten or extend streets or alleys, or parts thereof, and to vacate streets or alleys, or parts thereof, without any petition of property owners: Provided, The ordinance or ordinances authorizing the same shall be adopted and enacted by the affirmative vote of three-fourths of the members elect composing the councils of such municipality and approved by the mayor or burgess thereof. No such ordinance shall be finally adopted and enacted in a less period than thirty (30) days from the date of its introduction, and in the meantime copies of said ordinance shall be published in each of the official newspapers of such municipality ten consecutive days immediately following the introduction thereof, and in case such municipality shall have no official newspapers, then in at least one newspaper published in the county in which the municipality is situate once a week for three consecutive weeks," be and the same is hereby amended so as to read as follows: Section 9. Every municipal corporation shall have power to open, widen, straighten or extend streets or alleys, or parts thereof, within its limits, and to vacate streets or alleys, or parts thereof, upon the petition of a majority in number and interest of owners of property abutting on the line of the proposed improvement, to be verified by the affidavit of one or more parties, as in the preceding section; a majority in interest of owners of undivided interests in any piece of property, to be deemed and treated as one person for the purposes of petition. Every municipal corporation shall have power, whenever the councils or authorities thereof shall deem it necessary, to open, widen, straighten or extend streets or alleys, or parts thereof, and to vacate Without petition. streets or alleys, or parts thereof, without any petition of property owners: Provided, The ordinance or ordinances authorizing the same shall be adopted and enacted by the affirmative vote of three-fourths of the members elect, composing the councils of such municipality, and approved by the mayor, city recorder, or burgess thereof. No such ordinance shall be finally adopted and enacted in a less period than thirty (30) days from the date of its introduction, and in the meantime copies of said ordinance shall be published in each of the official newspapers of such municipality, once a week, for three consecutive weeks, immediately following the introduction thereof, and in case such mù Proviso. Adoption of ordinances. Publication of ordinances. nicipality shall have no official newspapers, then in at Approved-The 19th day of March, A. D. 1903. No. 43. AN ACT Relating to the election of the members of the common council, in cities of the first class. class. mon councilmen. Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That hereafter each ward of a city of the first class shall have a member Cities of the first of the common council for each four thousand qualified voters, as shown by the completed assessors' list last preceding the election to be held for such common Election of comcouncilmen; but each and every ward shall have at least one member of said council: Provided, however, Proviso. That there shall be no additional councilman for any less number of qualified voters than four thousand (4,000): And provided further, That this act shall not go into effect until the first day of June, Anno Domini one thousand nine hundred and three. Section 2. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. Approved-The 19th day of March, A. D. 1903. Proviso. Repeal. No. 44. AN ACT Amending the act, entitled "An act providing for the acquisition by the State of certain ground at Valley Forge for a public park, and making an appropriation therefor," approved May thirtieth, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-three; providing for the acquisition of additional land, and giving authority to the Commissioners to deputize officers to maintain police regulation, giving authority to said officers to make said arrests, etc. Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That section one of an act, entitled "An act providing for the acquisition by the State of certain ground at Valley Forge for a public park, and making an appropriation therefor," Section 1, act of May 30, 1893, ment. approved the thirtieth day of May, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and ninety-three, which reads as follows: "That for the purpose of perpetuating and preserv cited for amend- ing the site on which the Continental Army, under General George Washington, was encamped in winter quarters at Valley Forge during the winter, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven and one thou sand seven hundred and seventy-eight, the title to and ownership in the ground covering said site, including Forts Washington and Huntingdon, and the entrenchments adjacent thereto, and the adjoining grounds, in all not exceeding two hundred and fifty acres, but not including therein the property known as Washington's headquarters and now owned by the Centennial and Memorial Association of Valley Forge, the location and boundaries thereof to be fixed by the Commissioners hereafter mentioned, shall be vested in the State of Pennsylvania, to be laid out, preserved and maintained forever, as a public place or park by the rame of Valley Forge, so that the same and the fortifications thereon may be maintained as nearly as possible in their original condition as a military camp, and may be preserved for the enjoyment of the people of the said State," be and the same is hereby amended to read as follows: Grounds at Valley Forge shall be vested in the State. 500 acres. Location and boundaries to be fixed by commissioners. Public park. Section 4, act of May 30, 1893, cited for amendment. That for the purpose of perpetuating and preserving the site on which the Continental Army, under General George Washington, was encamped in winter quarters at Valley Forge, during the winter of one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight, the title to and ownership in the ground covering said site, including Forts Washington and Huntingdon, and the entrenchments adjacent thereto, and adjoining grounds, in all not exceeding five hundred acres, but not including therein the property known as Washington's headquarters, and now owned by the Centennial and Memorial Association of Valley Forge, the location and boundaries thereof to be fixed by the commissioners hereafter mentioned, shall be vested in the State of Pennsylvania, to be laid out, preserved and maintained forever as a public place or park, by the name of Valley Forge, so that the same and the fortifications thereon may be maintained, as nearly as possible, in their original condition as a military camp, and may be preserved for the enjoyment of the people of the said State. Section 2. That section four of said act, which reads as follows: "That the Commissioners of the said Park, after they shall have secured possession of the said grounds, shall adopt plans for the improvement, preservation and |